Appar

Appar, honoured as Tirunavukkarasar (“King of the Sacred Tongue”), is the elder of the two great Tevaram masters. Born a Shaiva, he spent years as a Jain monk before returning to the worship of Shiva, and his hymns repeatedly meditate on that return.

Life/Legend

The hagiography relates that Appar was born at Tiruvamur and rose to respect within the Jain community at Pataliputra near Cuddalore. A grave illness led him back to his sister’s home and to an invocation of Shiva, whose touch he experienced in a vision. His former associates are said to have persecuted him — a lime kiln, poison, an elephant — while he sang and survived each ordeal; the Pallava king’s own sympathy for Shaivism is credited to these events in the hagiographic account. Appar wandered on foot to the great Shiva shrines, sweeping their courtyards with a hoe carried as an emblem of servitude.

Hymns/Works

Appar’s hymns form books 4–6 of the Tevaram, roughly 313 hymns with about 4,900 stanzas attributed to his name. His verses on the body’s frailty and on unbought devotion are classics of Tamil bhakti.

Legacy

Sambandar addressed him as “Appa,” father, and the name remained. His image, hoe on shoulder, appears across Tamil Shaiva temples; his hymns anchor the daily liturgy.

Verification notes

• Life is known solely through the Periya Puranam and hymnal allusions; dates are traditional reconstructions.
• The persecution narrative is hagiographic; its historical kernel is debated.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).